You have less power but more wealth than a Mycenean king. You have a more steady diet that is healthier for you, with better healthcare, better housing, more time for leisure, less chance of being robbed or murdered or killed in battle, etc. etc. But the king could have people killed or tortured; he could send people to their deaths; pass judgment in any moral dispute between hundreds of his subjects; etc.

The capitalist elite gladly loses wealth to gain power. And the power a rich person has over someone who must work for them to eat is incomprehensibly greater than the power a rich person has over someone who can eat regardless of whether they work for them. Thanks to ICE and other anti-immigration laws, rich people can effectively keep undocumented migrants as slaves again. What are they going to do? Complain and get themselves sent to a concentration camp?

What do you think a billionaire would rather have? A hundred mansions, ten private jets, twenty yachts, and a thousand unionized employees; or ten mansions, one private jet, two yachts, and a hundred slaves?

Wealth truly is not equivalent to power.

[–] untorquer@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I agree that wealth is not equivalent to power but I continue to assert that it is the fundamental concept of capitalism. It's rule by those who can exploit a market most effectively amassing the greatest amount of capital (by money/property value).

I find wealth in having hobbies and relationships that don't return monetarily on my energy investment. This is incompatible with capitalism. While living under capitalism, i could have the highest quantity of relationships of the highest quality with other humans and it would still be worthless compared to someone with more capacity than me for taking on debt.

I wonder if I'm being misinterpreted here so if it's unclear at this point; i see capitalism as a direct assault on our very humanity and a psychological disease that tears from us our empathy and feeling for one another through the pursuit of "wealth". I despise it.

[–] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Except capitalists install Trump, who destroys wealth both for himself and for others. And they put incompetent nepo babies in positions of power where they waste multiple percent of profit. And they give golden parachutes to incompetent CEOs they hired. And they fire personnel only to replace them with consultants that are many times more expensive. And they run their own businesses rather than putting their money in an index fund for hired investors to play with. And they give millions to charities (derogatory) that have no realistic return on investment.

Capitalists burn wealth constantly. Wealth accumulation is not the goal of capitalism, it's the score counter of a game they're playing for the sake of the game, and they will pay anything to keep playing.

[–] untorquer@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

Those are just the games they play when they have wealth beyond an imagination of that number being consequential. They don't lose enough to change their status or power. Even when they spend it they just turn it into debt. The bank is happy at 3-5% interest and if you make 7-10% on that borrowed money then blowing the difference doesn't impact you at all.